Greek: kaikrinei(3SFAI)eekphuseosakrobustiatonnomontelousa(PAPPSN)setondiagrammatoskaiperitomesparabatennomou.Amplified:
Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the Law will
condemn you who, although you have the code in writing and have
circumcision, break the Law.(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)NLT:
In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will be much better
off than you Jews who are circumcised and know so much about God's law
but don't obey it.(NLT
- Tyndale House)Phillips:
Moreover, is it not plain to you that those who are physically
uncircumcised, and yet keep the Law, are a continual judgment upon you
who, for all your circumcision and knowledge of the Law, break it? (Phillips:
Touchstone)Wuest: And the uncircumcision which by nature is
fulfilling the law will judge you who with the advantage of the letter
and of circumcision are a transgressor of law. (Eerdmans) Young'sLiteral: and
the uncircumcision, by nature, fulfilling the law, shall judge thee
who, through letter and circumcision, art a transgressor of law.

AND
HE WHO IS PHYSICALLY UNCIRCUMCISED: kai krinei (3SFAI) e ek phuseos
akrobustia:

Physically
(5449)
(phúsis from phúo = to bring forth) refers to a condition
or circumstance as determined by birth and thus a natural condition.
Phusis is the nature of something as the result of its natural
development or condition.

Uncircumcision (203)
(akrobustia from ákron = the extreme +
búo = cover) means uncircumcised or uncircumcision and thus
referred to the prepuce or foreskin. What Paul is picturing is that
the physical rite of circumcision without any internal transformation
equates with a foreskin! Akrobustiawas also used as a term of
scorn and derision by Jews, for they equated "uncircumcision"
with being a pagan Gentiles. Can you imagine how a self-righteous Jew
must have felt when he read Paul's argument!

He who is physically
uncircumcised - This is another synonym for Gentiles in this verse.
In the OT Gentiles are often referred to as "the peoples" (eg, Ex
15:14, 19:5, Lev 20:24 "separated you from the peoples", Lev 20:26 "set
you apart from the peoples", etc) "the nations" (Ge 17:4 -
Abraham would be "the father of a multitude of nations", Ge 22:18 - "in
your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed", Psalm 2:1,
etc)

If a physically
uncircumcised Gentile were to keep the work of the law within his heart, would he not be justified, instead
of the physically circumcised Jew who did not keep the law?
A Gentile who obeys what the Law requires, even though he does not know
the Law (Ro 2:14) is in God’s sight similar to a circumcised Jew. This
thought would be revolutionary for Jews who considered themselves far
superior to Gentiles (cf. Ro 2:17, 18, 19, 20, 21).

Denny
explains Paul's logic this way...

“Here the inference is drawn from the
principle laid down in verse 25. This being so, Paul argues, if the
uncircumcision maintain the just requirements of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be accounted circumcision, because it has really done
what circumcision pledged the Jew to do?… As he has done what
circumcision bound the Jew to do, he will be treated as if in the Jew’s
position: his uncircumcision will be reckoned as circumcision.”

Keeps(5055)
(teleofrom telos = goal, an end, a purpose, an aim, a
fulfillment, an achievement; See discussion of related words - Mature
=
teleios;
Maturity [perfect]= teleiotes)
means to bring to an end (e.g., Jesus finished speaking - see
below) as one brings a process, a course, a task or an undertaking to
the end.

It means to make an end or to
accomplish and complete something, not merely by bringing it to end but
bringing it to perfection, in the context of Romans 2:27 signifying that
one keeps the law perfectly. And note the present tensewhich means one keeps
the law continually, as one's lifestyle, which of course is impossible
(unless you are Jesus!)

Teleo means to accomplish
an obligation or demand in the sense of to bring about a result by
effort. The idea is to achieve a goal or to conclude it successfully.
This meaning is especially poignant in the context of Jesus' life
purpose which was to die on the Cross, the purpose He pointed to and
which He accomplished ("It is finished" John 19:30). This same meaning
of fulfilling or bringing about the completion or achievement of a goal
or objective is also a prominent meaning in the Revelation (e.g. Re
11:7-note;
Re 17:17-note)

Teleo in some contexts
(Mt 17:24, Ro 13:6-note)
means to pay, and in the NT uses refers to payment of obligatory
taxes or tolls.

Secular uses of teleo include the
idea of carrying out instructions, of fulfilling obligations and
religiously of carrying out religious acts including consecrating
initiates (as into a mystery cult). This latter sense is not used in the
NT but is used in the LXX translation of Numbers 25:3, 5 where Israel
joined themselves to (consecrated themselves) the pagan idol
Baalpeor.

Here are the 28 NT
uses of teleo...

Matthew 7:28 (note)
The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the
multitudes were amazed at His teaching;

Matthew 10:23 "But whenever
they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to
you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel,
until the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 11:1 And it came about
that when Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve
disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Matthew 13:53 And it came
about that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed
from there.

Matthew 17:24 And when they
had come to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to
Peter, and said, "Does your teacher not pay (teleo) the
two-drachma tax?"

Matthew 19:1 And it came about
that when Jesus had finished these words, He departed from
Galilee, and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;

Matthew 26:1 And it came about
that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His
disciples,

Luke 2:39 And when they had
performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned
to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.

Luke 12:50 "But I have a
baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

Luke 18:31 And He took the
twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of
Man will be accomplished.

Luke 22:37 "For I tell you, that this
which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'And He was numbered
with transgressors'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment."

John 19:28 After this, Jesus,
knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I am thirsty."

John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is
finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.

Acts 13:29 "And when they (the
Jews in Jerusalem and their rulers) had carried out all that was
written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him
in a tomb.

Romans 2:27 (note)
And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the
Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and
circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

Romans 13:6 (note)
For because of this you also pay (teleo - present tense
= continually!) taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting
themselves to this very thing.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has
said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected
(teleo - present tense
= this principle is continually active; passive voice= this effect
[empowerment] is brought about by an a source other than the subject, in
this case the Spirit of Christ) in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I
will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may
dwell in me.

2 Timothy 4:7 (note)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course (dromos
= a race track or course), I have kept the faith

Comment: Paul pictures his
Christian life as a race and is saying he has broken the barrier at the
finish line, having fulfilled the purpose for which he was created and
then "re-created" in Christ. The perfect tense points to the permanent
effect of his finish. The finish line has been crossed and the results
would last forever. He has now entered his eternal rest.

James 2:8 If, however, you are
fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall
love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

Revelation 10:7 (note)
but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to
sound, then the mystery of God is finished (accomplished), as He
preached to His servants the prophets.

Revelation 11:7 (note)
And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes
up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill
them.

Comment: From a timing
perspective, this is one of the most important events in the Revelation
as it occurs in the middle of the 7 year Tribulation and marks the
beginning of the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 15:1 (note)
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who
had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God
is finished.

Comment: When the bowl judgments are poured
out in the Great Tribulation,
God's wrath against Israel is over, for it has accomplished the refining
and purifying that He desired, and the one third of the Jews who have
believed in Messiah will enter the Millennial Kingdom.

Revelation 15:8 (note)
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His
power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues
of the seven angels were finished.

Comment: Another
allusion to the completion of the horrendous 3.5 year period known as
the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 17:17 (note)
"For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose (Do not miss
this faith buoying truth that God is sovereign and in control even of
the drama of these evil players! Absolutely nothing happens outside of
His control! And this is true in your life beloved child of God!) by
having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until
the words of God should be fulfilled (accomplished).

Revelation 20:3 (note)
and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so
that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years
were completed; after these things he must be released for a
short time.

Ruth 2:21 (note)
Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "Furthermore, he said to me, 'You should
stay close to my servants until they have finished (Hebrew =
kalah = to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished; Lxx = teleo)
all my harvest.'"

Ruth 3:18 (note)
Then she said, "Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns
out; for the man will not rest until he hassettled (KJV =
"have finished"; Hebrew = kalah = to be complete, at an end, finished,
accomplished; Lxx = teleo) it today."

Ezra 6:15 And this temple was
completed (Hebrew = yetsa = to bring to an end, to finish; Lxx =
teleo) on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year
of the reign of King Darius.

Ezra 10:17 And they
finished (Hebrew = kalah = to be complete, at an end, finished,
accomplished; Lxx = teleo) investigating all the men who had
married foreign wives by the first of the first month.

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was
completed (Hebrew = shalem = to be complete or sound, to be at
peace {related noun = shalom}; Lxx = teleo) on the twenty-fifth of the
month Elul, in fifty-two days.

Law (3551)
(nomos from némo = divide among, parcel out, allot) is
etymologically something parceled out, allotted, what one has in use and
possession; hence, usage, custom.

Judge
(2919)
(krino) primarily signifies to distinguish, separate or
discriminate and then, to distinguish between good and evil, right and
wrong, without necessarily passing an adverse sentence, though this is
usually involved. Krino means to sift out and analyze evidence.
Passing judgment, by implication, means condemning.

A Gentile’s humble
obedience to the law should serve as a stern rebuke to a Jew who, in
spite of his great advantages, lives in disobedience. Circumcision (or
baptism - or any ritual in itself) doesn't save anyone; Egyptians
circumcised their boys, and Ishmael, the son of the flesh, was
circumcised

Paul is not saying that uncircumcised Gentiles can keep the Law,
but rather that if they do they will be reckoned as "circumcised" in a
spiritual sense.
Moreover, they then could be called to bear witness in judgment against
the circumcised who have transgressed the Law. Paul’s argument was
devastating! One of the greatest insults in Judaism was to call another
Jew “an uncircumcised one,” and this is what Paul had done in no
uncertain terms. Circumcision alone does not justify a man. His actions
must be in keeping with his profession of faith.

In applying this truth to ourselves, all we have to do is substitute for the
word “circumcision” any of the following: Church membership —baptism—
confirmation— Methodist— Baptist— Presbyterian—
and so on. The great
mistake of Catholics, Protestants, and Jews when asked about their
relationship to God is to cite their religious affiliation as evidence
of their relationship.

“Are you a believer?” “Of course. I’ve been a member of First Church for
twenty-five years.”

“Are you a believer?” “I’m a ____(name of denomination)! Does that answer your question?”

“Are you a believer?” “Why yes, I was baptized right here in Christian
Church.”

There are as many answers as there are affiliations and rites, but none
will convince God—they are all outward "circumcisions" so
to speak.

WHO THOUGH
HAVING THE LETTER OF THE LAW AND CIRCUMCISION ARE A TRANSGRESSOR OF THE
LAW: se ton dia grammatos kai peritomes parabaten nomou:
(Ro 2:20,29; 7:6, 7, 8; 2Cor 3:6)

Transgressor (3848)
(parabates from from pará = beyond or contrary to +
baíno = to go) (see study of related word parabasis) describes one who goes beyond and thus is a
violator of the law. A transgressor is one who goes beyond the line. So,
also, trespass, which is transpass, from the Latin trans, across, and
passus, a step.

Not that we are adequate in ourselves
to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from
God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the
letter, but of the Spirit; for the letterkills,
(the Mosaic Law kills because, of itself, it could not give life was
meant to make men conscious of sin - see Purpose of the Law) but the Spirit gives
life. (2Cor 3:5-6-note)

Greek: ougaroentophaneroIoudaiosestin,(3SPAI)oudeeentophaneroensarkiperitome;Amplified:
For he is not a [real] Jew who is only one outwardly and publicly, nor
is [true] circumcision something external and physical. (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)NLT:
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish
parents or because you have gone through the Jewish ceremony of
circumcision. (NLT
- Tyndale House)Phillips:
I have come to the conclusion that a true Jew is not the man who is
merely a Jew outwardly, and a real circumcision is not just a matter
of the body. (Phillips:
Touchstone)Wuest:
For, not he who is so in an outward fashion is a Jew, nor even that
which is in an outward fashion in flesh is circumcision. (Eerdmans) Young'sLiteral: For he is
not a Jew who is so outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is
outward in flesh;

The name derived from the
patriarch Judah, at first given to one belonging to the tribe of Judah
or to the separate kingdom of Judah (2 Kings
16:6; 25:25; Jeremiah 32:12;
38:19; 40:11; 41:3), in
contradistinction from those belonging to the kingdom of the ten tribes,
who were called Israelites.

During the Captivity, and after
the Restoration, the name, however, was extended to all the Hebrew
nation without distinction (Esther 3:6,10; Daniel 3:8,12; Ezra 4:12;
5:1,5).

Originally this people were
called Hebrews (Genesis 39:14; 40:15; Exodus
2:7; 3:18; 5:3; 1 Samuel 4:6,9, etc.), but after the Exile this name
fell into disuse. But Paul was styled a Hebrew (2Corinthians 11:22; Phil
3:5).

The history of the Jewish nation is
interwoven with the history of Palestine and with the narratives of the
lives of their rulers and chief men. They are now [1897] dispersed over
all lands, and to this day remain a separate people, "without a king,
and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image [RSV
'pillar,' marg. 'obelisk'], and without an ephod, and without teraphim"
(Hosea 3:4). Till about the beginning of the present century [1800] they
were everywhere greatly oppressed, and often cruelly persecuted; but now
their condition is greatly improved, and they are admitted in most
European countries to all the rights of free citizens. In 1860 the
"Jewish disabilities" were removed, and they were admitted to a seat in
the British Parliament. Their number in all is estimated at about six
millions, about four millions being in Europe.

There are three names used in the New
Testament to designate this people,

Jews, as regards their
nationality, to distinguish them from Gentiles.

Hebrews, with regard to their
language and education, to distinguish them from Hellenists, i.e., Jews
who spoke the Greek language.

Israelites, as respects their
sacred privileges as the chosen people of God. "To other races we owe
the splendid inheritance of modern civilization and secular culture; but
the religious education of mankind has been the gift of the Jew alone."

(Smith's
Bible Dictionary adds
that) The force of the title "Jew" is seen particularly in the
Gospel of St. John, who very rarely uses any other term to describe the
opponents of our Lord.
At an earlier stage of the progress of the faith it was contrasted with
Greek as implying an outward covenant with God, (Romans 1:16; 2:9,10;
Colossians 3:11) etc., which was the correlative of Hellenist [HELLENIST],
and marked a division of language subsisting within the entire body, and
at the same time less expressive than Israelite , which brought
out with especial clearness the privileges and hopes of the children of
Jacob. (2 Corinthians
11:22; John 1:47)

Outwardly
(5318)
(phaneros
from phaino = give light; make to shine or to
cause to appear) pertains to that which is clearly and easily
known and thus is manifest, plain or apparent. In other words being a true or genuine Jew is not a matter of
outward or external things that are clearly seen (such as wearing phylacteries, paying tithes,
or being circumcised).

Dr. Barnhouse's paraphrase

For he
is not a Christian who is one outwardly, nor is that “church membership”
which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Christian who is one
inwardly; and “church membership” is that of the heart, in the Spirit,
not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.

They are not all Israel who are
descended from Israel! In other words, not all the physical descendents
of Abraham are automatically "spiritual" descendents. (cf Gal 3:29). As
John the Baptist had pronounced many years earlier, God could raise up
physical descendants of Abraham from stones if He so chose (Mt 3:9).

Be careful who you read in any commentary (including the one you are
reading!). Below is a comment from the well known commentary by Adam
Clarke regarding who the "Jew" is in this passage.
Clarke writes that the Jew is...

A member of the
Church of God,
who has only an outward profession.

Now this may be an application but it is not the correct interpretation. Can you see the
error he has made and which so many still continue to make? His mistake
was to interpret the passage in light of what he had been taught to
believe about Israel and the Church and not let the text speak in context
- Paul's context in Romans 2, especially in the last section, is clearly
directed primarily at the Jews. Clarke "replaces" the
Jew with the Church (a false theology referred to as "replacement theology").
The point is that one must be a
Berean, (Acts 17:11-note)
when reading the commentaries, no matter how well known the commentary is.
A safe rule in
inductive study is to always carefully
observe the Scriptures and allow the context
to guide the
interpretation.

Now by way of application one might ask how do we see this truth today?
And it might be some who say they are saved by having godly parents and
knowing what they taught them, or because they have been faithful
members of the corner church all their life, or because they have
received water baptism as an infant, a child or an adult. In each of
these situations they are in need of a circumcision of their hearts by
God's Spirit Who alone births new life from above. Let us warn those
around us (in love) to flee from the wrath to come lest they be deceived
as so many of the Jews in Paul's day were. We must each consider the
question, "Where does our confidence lie?" Does it rest on our knowledge
of God’s Word, our religious affiliation, our experience of baptism, etc? If so, we are deluded,
dead and doomed to eternal destruction unless we come to repentance and
faith in the Gospel! True salvation and eternal life is a
matter of the heart. God’s Word is surgical. It is meant to pierce
hearts (He 4:12,13-note;
Heb 4:13-note). If God has spoken to you and revealed your need and
your heart is troubled, there is hope for you. Now receive the Word
implanted which is able to save your soul (James 1:21).

J. C. Ryle has some pithy comments from his sermon entitled Formalism(click for entire sermon):

"[I.] We learn, first, that formal religion is not true religion, and a
formal Christian is not a true Christian in God's sight.

[II.] We learn,
secondly, that the heart is the seat of true religion, and that the true
Christian is the Christian in heart.

[III.] We learn, thirdly, that true
religion must never expect to be popular. It will not have the "praise of
man, but praise from God....

Two hundred years have passed away since a
mighty Puritan preacher said, "Formalism, formalism, formalism is the
great sin of this day, under which the whole country groans. There is
more light than there was, but less life; more profession, but less
holiness." (Thomas Hall, on 2Ti 3:5 [see note] the
year was 1658). What would this good man have said if he lived in our
times?"

Circumcision (4061)
(peritome from perí =
around + témno = cut off) (Click study of
peritome) refers literally to cutting
and removal of the foreskin. (See related discussion on Circumcision)
In this particular verse however Paul is referring to a figurativecircumcision as mentioned several times in the Old Testament (click),
so this is a truth concerning which the Jews should not have been
ignorant.

There are only 4
uses in the Septuagint - Ge 17:13; Ex 4:25, 26; Je 11:16;

Flesh (4561)
(sarx) (Click
study of
sarx)
is used 147 times in the NT and has a range of meanings but in the
present context refers to the physical part of the human body.
Paul
contrast their physical circumcision with circumcision of the heart, a
teaching which should not
have been "new" to any Jew well-schooled in the Law and the
Prophets.

God had instituted circumcision as a mark of His covenant with Abraham
and his descendants, declaring that “every male among you who is eight
days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations” (Ge 17:10,
11, 12).
Many commentators feel that this "surgical procedure" was symbolic of the sinfulness of man that was
passed from generation to generation (by the seed of man), so that the very organ needed
to be cleansed of a covering. So man at the very center of his nature is
sinful and needs cleansing of the heart. This graphic symbol of the need
for removing sin became the sign of being a Jew. But as important as
circumcision was as an act of obedience to God and as a reminder to Jews
of their covenant relation to Him, the rite had no spiritual power and
was only an outward symbol. And rather than freeing Jews from God’s law,
circumcision made them even more responsible for obeying it, because
that ritual testified to their greater knowledge of sin, of God, and of
His will in regard to them.

Greek: all'oentokruptoIoudaios,kaiperitomekardiasenpneumatiougrammati,ouoepainosouk ex anthroponall'ektoutheou.Amplified:
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and [true] circumcision is of the
heart, a spiritual and not a literal [matter]. His praise is not from
men but from God.(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)NLT:
No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true
circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart
produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise
from God, not from people.(NLT
- Tyndale House)Phillips:
The true Jew is one who belongs to God in heart, a man whose
circumcision is not just an outward physical affair but is a God-made
sign upon the heart and soul, and results in a life lived not for the
approval of man, but for the approval of God. (Phillips:
Touchstone)Wuest:
But he who is so in the sphere of the inner man is a Jew, and
circumcision is of the heart, in the sphere of the spirit, not in the
sphere of the letter, concerning whom the praise is not from men but
from God. (Eerdmans) Young'sLiteral: but a Jew
is he who is so inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit,
not in letter, of which the praise is not of men, but of God.

Inwardly (2927)
(kruptos from krúpto = keep secret) means hidden,
concealed, and thus secret where one cannot be seen by others. The
phrase "en to krupto" literally reads in the hidden part and thus
inwardly.

God has always
been more interested in the inward than the outward...even
as He explained to Samuel declaring

the LORD
said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance (the man who God would
select as king of Jesse's sons) or at the height of his stature, because
I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1Sa 16:7)

Comment:
God's method is clearly not that commonly followed by either pulpit
committees or political parties, but it ultimately is the best method
and selects the best man.

A
true Jew in the fullest sense is one who is a physical Jew but who by
faith in Christ has become a child of God (Jn 1:11, 12) and is now not
just a physical descendant of Abraham but now is the true spiritual seed
of Abraham. (Ro 4:16, Gal 3:29). All who do not have this "mark" are
"uncircumcised" [Jer 9:25,26 Acts 7:51]

Note: Paul does not intend
that national and ethnic distinctions are eliminated by the gospel so
that one no longer distinguishes between Israel and the church.
Otherwise, Paul would not have so lucidly affirmed a continuing place
for Israel in the redemptive purpose of God (Ro 9:4, 5; 10:1, 2; 11:1, 2,
25, 26). Rather, the apostle's design is to provoke physical,
unregenerate Israel to
a recognition of its dire plight by warning that the true essence of being is
an inward reality of the heart wrought by the Spirit of God, not an
outward cutting of the physical flesh. The physical Jew who believes in
his Messiah for salvation becomes part of the remnant
of born again Jews who compose what Paul termed thetrueIsrael of God
(Gal 6:16), a phrase which many misinterpret as "the church" (see topic Israel of God)

AND
CIRCUMCISION IS THAT WHICH IS OF THE HEART: kai peritome kardias:
(Dt 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; Col 2:11,12) (See Torrey's Topic Character of the Renewed Heart)

Note that circumcision is used
in three senses in this passage: (1) it stands for the Jews (notice that
the "uncircumcised" in Ro 2:27 means Gentiles; see also Ge 17:10); (2)
it indicates the physical rite commanded in the law (Ro 2:25a and Lev.
12:3); (3) it represents, as here, a life that is separated from the
flesh and unto God (Ro 2:27 and Dt. 10:16).

For the purposes of applying Paul's teaching in these verses note that in the place of
"circumcision", one can substitute a number of equivalent
activities such as
baptism, confirmation, church membership, communion, mother's prayers,
godly family, etc. Just as literal circumcision does not bring about
present salvation nor guarantee future salvation, neither do any of
these activities unless accompanied by a heart circumcised by the Spirit
(i.e., regeneration, salvation)

SPIRITUAL
RED HERRINGS!

Ray Stedman writes...

"I have often said to someone, "Well, are
you a Christian?" And the answer I get is, "Well, I am a Catholic," or,
"I am a Baptist," or "I was raised a Methodist," or, "I've been
baptized." In the case of the Jews, it was circumcision. But, as Paul is
pointing out here, God isn't fooled one bit by this. There are many
uncircumcised (as Paul also points out), and also many unbaptized,
unconfirmed, unpasteurized, unsimonized individuals who behave just as
well as those who have been baptized, circumcised, simonized, or
whatever it is. Do you see? These things do not add anything to a person
-- that is the point -- they don't do a thing for you. Regardless of
what you have been taught, there is no value in an outward ordinance or
outward ritual -- none whatsoever.
"Well," you say, "what is a religious
ritual, anyway? Why are these things here?" And the answer is: A ritual
or rite is saying something to God in actions instead of words... Don't
insult the God who loves you by muttering some meaningless mumbo-jumbo
before him, or play-acting some religious hocus-pocus that leaves you
uninvolved, and, therefore, unchanged -- this is what Paul is saying."
(Read the full sermon text Red Herrings)

Genesis
17:9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall
keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout
their generations. 10 "This is My covenant, which you shall keep,
between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male
among you shall be circumcised. 11 "And you shall be
circumcisedin the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall
be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 "And every male
among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised
throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or
who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your
descendants. 13 "A servant who is born in your house or who is
bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus
shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14
"But an uncircumcisedmale who is not circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off
from his people; he has broken My covenant."

Circumcision (cutting
away the male foreskin) was not entirely new in this period of
history, but the special religious and theocratic significance
then applied to it was entirely new, thus identifying the
circumcised as belonging to the physical and ethnical lineage of
Abraham (cf. Acts 7:8; Ro 4:11). Without divine revelation, the
rite would not have had this distinctive significance, thus it
remained a theocratic distinctive of Israel (cf. v13). There was
a health benefit, since disease could be kept in the folds
of the foreskin, so that removing it prevented that. Historically,
Jewish women have had the lowest rate of cervical cancer. But the
symbolism had to do with the need to cut away sin and be cleansed.
It was the male organ which most clearly demonstrated the depth of
depravity because it carried the seed that produced depraved
sinners....This cleansing of the physical organ so as not to pass
on disease... was a picture of the deep need for cleansing from
depravity, which is most clearly revealed by procreation, as men
produce sinners and only sinners. Circumcision points to
the fact that cleansing is needed at the very core of a human
being, a cleansing God offers to the faithful and penitent through
the sacrifice of Christ to come. (MacArthur, J. J. The MacArthur Study Bible.
Nashville: Word Pub) (Bolding added)

Circumcision was God’s
appointed “sign of the covenant” (Ge 17:11), which signified
Abraham’s covenanted commitment to the Lord—that the Lord alone
would be his God, whom he would trust and serve. It symbolized a
self-maledictory oath (analogous to the oath to which God had
submitted himself; see Ge 15:17): “If I am not loyal in faith
and obedience to the Lord, may the sword of the Lord cut off me
and my offspring (Ge 17:14) as I have cut off my foreskin.” Thus
Abraham was to place himself under the rule of the Lord as his
King, consecrating himself, his offspring and all he possessed to
the service of the Lord. (NIV
Study Bible. Zondervan)

Leviticus
26:41 I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring
them into the land of their enemies-- or if their uncircumcisedheart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for
their iniquity, 42 then (Don't miss these critical expressions of time
in your Bible reading!) I will remember My covenant with Jacob,
and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant
with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land.

The proper response to their
election by the sovereign Lord was to circumcise their hearts
(cf. Dt 30:6). An uncircumcisedheart means a will
that is hardened against God’s commands. It is another way of
saying the person is stiff-necked or stubborn (cf. Dt 9:6KJV, Dt
9:13KJV;
Dt 31:27KJV). Thus the command to circumcise their hearts assumes
that human hearts are naturally rebellious and need correction.
Though human hearts are slow to change, Moses warned the nation
that no bribe or anything less than an inward transformation could
satisfy the Lord, who is the great God. God’s treatment of the
helpless (the fatherless . . . the widow, and the alien) further
illustrates His absolutely just character (showing no partiality)
and highlights His requirement for Israel to be just. (Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible
knowledge commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton,
IL: Victor Books)
(Bolding added)

Deuteronomy 30:6 "Moreover the LORD your God will
circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to
love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
in order that you may live.

(Deut 30:1-5 prophesies of) The
gathering of Jews out of all the countries of the earth (that)
will follow Israel’s final redemption. Restoration to the Land
will be in fulfillment of the promise of the covenant given to
Abraham (see Ge 12:7; 13:15; 15:18, 19, 20, 21; 17:8) and so often
reiterated by Moses and the prophets. (Circumcision of
their heart is a) work of God in the innermost being of the
individual is the true salvation that grants a new will to obey
Him in place of the former spiritual insensitivity and
stubbornness (cf. Jer. 4:4; 9:25; Ro 2:28, 29). This new heart
will allow the Israelite to love the Lord wholeheartedly, and is
the essential feature of the New Covenant. (MacArthur, J. J.
The MacArthur Study Bible.
Nashville: Word Pub) (Bolding added)

The promise that the Lord your
God will circumcise your hearts (cf. Dt 10:16) means that God
will graciously grant the nation a new will to obey Him in place
of their former spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness. After
returning to the Promised Land with a new heart they will remain
committed to the Lord and therefore will experience abundant
blessing (live). Loving Him wholeheartedly (cf. Dt 30:16, 20; see
Dt 6:5), they would not fall back into apostasy as they
had done before. A new heart is an essential feature of the New
Covenant (cf. Ezek. 36:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-see
notes), which will not be fulfilled for
Israel as a nation until the return of Jesus Christ (cf. Jer.
31:31, 32, 33, 34). (Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible
knowledge commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton,
IL: Victor Books)
(Bolding added)

Jeremiah
4:4 "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the
foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of
Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth like fire and burn with none to
quench it, because of the evil of your deeds."

Here the meaning of
circumcision is the idea of purifying, separating from the
sinful tendency of the flesh, that propensity inherited from Adam
in which the unregenerate seeks only to please self, never God.
In other words, God desires that the inward condition match
one's outward profession, which pf course is not just an OT
idea related to circumcision. God's intent has always been that
the outward symbols (e.g., circumcision, baptism) should be signs
of an inward reality of a new heart willing to and now able to
obey Him. Mere outward conformity to the standards of the covenant
does not please God

(MacArthur writes) This surgery
(Ge 17:10, 11, 12, 13, 14) was to cut away flesh that could hold disease in
its folds and could pass the disease on to wives. It was important
for the preservation of God’s people physically. But it was also a
symbol of the need for the heart to be cleansed from sin’s
deadly disease. The really essential surgery needed to
happen on the inside, where God calls for taking away fleshly
things that keep the heart from being spiritually devoted to Him
and from true faith in Him and His will. Jeremiah later expanded
on this theme (Jeremiah 31:31, 32, 33, 34; cf. Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Ro
2:29). God selected the reproductive organ as the location of the
symbol for man’s need of cleansing for sin, because it is the
instrument most indicative of his depravity, since by it he
reproduces generations of sinners. (The MacArthur Study Bible.
Nashville: Word Pub) (Bolding added)

Jeremiah
9:25 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "that I
will punish all who are circumcised and yet
uncircumcised (now he lists several examples of ancient
nations that practiced circumcision and to Judah's dismay placed
her right in the middle of the loathed Gentiles!)--26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the sons of
Ammon, and Moab, and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the
hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised,
and all the house of Israel are uncircumcisedof heart."

Conformity to the external
standard of circumcision must be accompanied by "circumcision" of
the heart to please God. To see how one can "circumcise the heart"
see the teaching by Paul in Romans 2 and Colossians 2 (below).

Bible Knowledge Commentary - If personal achievement
or ability would not please God (Jer 9:23), neither would outward
conformity to religious rituals. God would punish those
circumcised only in the flesh whether they were near or far
(Ed: near = Jew; far = Gentile). Judah’s faith in her covenant
sign (Ed: cp Ge 17:11) was a misplaced faith because people in
some other nations also practiced this ritual-and they were not
under God’s covenant. Judah’s actions exposed the fact that the
nation was really uncircumcised of heart (cf. Jer 4:4).

Ezekiel
44:6 "And you shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house
of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Enough of all your
abominations, O house of Israel, 7 when you brought in foreigners,
uncircumcised in heart (spiritual circumcision, a new
heart) and uncircumcised in flesh, (physical circumcision)
to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house (the Temple in
Jerusalem), when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for
they made My covenant void-- this in addition to all your
abominations. 8 "And you have not kept charge of My holy things
yourselves, but you have set foreigners to keep charge of My
sanctuary." 9 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "No foreigner,
uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcisedin flesh,
of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall
enter My sanctuary.

Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly;
neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the
letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Due to the passing down of
teaching from one rabbi to another over the centuries ("traditions
of men") the true meaning and requirement of circumcision
had been lost. And so by the 1st century we find rabbinical
"traditions" teaching such fallacies as:

“No circumcised Jewish man
will see hell” and “Circumcision saves us from hell.”

The Midrash says

“God swore to Abraham that
no one who was circumcised would be sent to hell. Abraham sits
before the gate of hell and never allows any circumcised Israelite
to enter.”

Here Paul Paul corrects this
serious error in rabbinical interpretation and also explains the
somewhat enigmatic OT passages alluding to "circumcision of the
heart", clearly stating that it is a spiritual circumcision
performed by the Holy Spirit at the time one receives the
Messiah as Savior. It is salvation by grace through faith -- in
the OT it was placing one's faith in a prophesied, promised
Deliverer as one looked forward to the Cross of Messiah and in the
NT it is looking back to Messiah's finished work of redemption at
Calvary. Colossians 2:11 (below) also amplifies the true
meaning of the circumcision that God has always desired.

Colossians 2:9 (see notes
Colossians 2:9-10,
2:11-12) For in Him all the
fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have
been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and
authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcisedwith
acircumcision made without hands, in the removal of
the body of the flesh by the circumcisionof
Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which
you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of
God, who raised Him from the dead.

Circumcision is a
cutting away of something and therefore signifies a removal of
that which has been cut away. In this verse Paul is clearly using
the well known procedure of circumcision not to describe the
physical act but ["without hands"] to describe spiritual
circumcision. Here Paul uses the circumcision metaphor to
explain the same spiritual transaction he discussed in Romans
6:1-11(notes)
which describes in detail of the events that occurred when we
placed our faith in Christ. At that very moment we were
"circumcised with a circumcision made without hands", we were
"baptized into Christ" (Galatians 3:27 = identified with Christ)
and we experienced a death, burial and resurrection by virtue of
our very real spiritual union with Christ. (Col 2:11, 12, 13-notes)

Regarding the "removal of
the body of the flesh" the Greek verb gives us the picture of
taking off and putting away clothes. And so by analogy "the body
of the flesh" is taken off like an old garment (by the Spirit at
the time of salvation when Galatians 3:27 teaches we "clothed
ourselves with Christ", we exchanged our filthy rags of
righteousness for His garment of righteousness). At the moment of
salvation, the "body of the flesh" was put off in the sense
that it was rendered inoperative (Ro 6:6-note)
and now can no longer reign like a cruel dictator over believers
as it did when we were unregenerate. The ruling power of this old
sinful nature has been broken (Ro 6:7-note,
Ro 6:12,13, 14-note ,
Ro 6:18-note,
Ro 6:22- note). Note that
the evil nature is not eradicated, for we still sin, but the power
of Sin (our old "dictator") has been broken, and as we yield to
and are led by the Spirit of Christ (Ro 8:14- noteRomans 8:14) we are enabled
to walk in the power of the Spirit (Ro 8:4, 5, 6- notes
8:4,
8:5, 8:6) and "by
the Spirit" to put "to death the deeds of the body"
(note on
Ro 8:13). "The flesh"
now can exert no more power over a believer than he or she allows
it to have.

In short the distinguishing
features of the circumcision made without hands are:

(1) not external but internal
and not made with hands,

(2) It divests not of part of
the flesh, but of the whole body of carnal affections (the power
of sin has been rendered inoperative so now we truly can say "no")
and

(3) this circumcision is not of
Moses nor of Abraham but of Christ.

Ray Stedman writes:

"I will never forget an
incident that occurred a number of years ago here at the church. A
young man came to my office carrying a thick Bible under his arm,
which he had been reading. Looking at me very earnestly, he said
to me, "Would you circumcise me?" After I had picked myself up
from the floor, I explained to him why, one, he did not need
physical circumcision, and, two, what circumcision meant. I
pointed out that it was an eloquent symbol when it was properly
understood." (Beware!
Colossians 2:8-15)

MacDonaldon "circumcision
made without hands")

"This circumcision speaks of death to the
fleshly nature. It is true positionally of every believer
(the moment we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior), but should be
followed by a practical mortifying of the sinful deeds of the
flesh (Col 3:5-note). The
apostle speaks of believers as the true circumcision (Phil. 3:3),
in contrast to a party of Jewish legalists known as “the
circumcision” (Gal. 2:12).(MacDonald, W., & Farstad,
A. Believer's Bible Commentary :
Old and New Testaments. Nashville: Thomas Nelson) (Bolding added)

BY THE SPIRIT,
NOT BY THE LETTER: en pneumati ou grammati: (Ro 2:27; 7:6; 14:17)

By the Spirit
- The necessary dynamic that Jesus explained to Nicodemus declaring...

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless
one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must
be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound
of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is
everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)

Jesus'
declaration and Paul's affirmation are both a fulfillment of
God's prophetic promise in Ezekiel 36 where He declares...

Moreover, I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone
from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My
Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be
careful to observe My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:26,27-see
notes)

See also the passages
on Circumcision in the preceding table most of which speak of a
circumcision by the Spirit and not by the Letter (the Law).

Not by the
letter - Not by trying to keep the law.

In a passage which
parallels Romans 2:29 Paul writes...

Not that we are
adequate in ourselves to consider (here Paul disdains his own ability to
reason, judge, or assess truth) anything as coming from ourselves, but
our adequacy is from God (Our service is really the Spirit of God
initiating and empowering and working through us
rather than us working to please God with our feeble, fleshly efforts), Who also made us adequate as servants of a
New
Covenant, not of the letter (not of the Law = referring to the Old Covenant,
the Covenant God cut with the nation of Israel at Sinai), but of the Spirit; for the letter kills
(the Law kills because it cannot give life), but the Spirit gives life
(cf John 6:63).
(2Corinthians 3:5-6)

Salvation is all of God and results from the work of His Spirit in a dead,
"uncircumcised",
lifeless heart and is not based on men's efforts in the flesh (fallen
flesh at that) to conform to
God's law.

Writing to the
church at Philippi Paul explained that believers now...

are the
true
circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus
and put no confidence in the flesh (Php 3:3-note)

AND HIS PRAISE
IS NOT FROM MEN BUT FROM GOD: ou o epainos ouk ex anthropon all ek tou
theou:
(Jn 5:44; 12:43; 2Co 10:18; 1Th 2:4; 1Peter 3:4)

Praise (1868)(epainos from epí
= upon + aínos = praise) is an expression of high
evaluation. It is excellence spoken of a person, object or event.
It refers to the the act of expressing admiration, approval or
recognition.

Not from men but from God
- This
is a further description of inward (man centered) religion as
Paul rebukes the vainglory (excessive or ostentatious pride especially in one’s
achievements) which prompted so much of the outward religion of the
Jews (e.g., see Jesus' parable describing the two men praying in the
Temple - one a proud Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer - Luke
18:9-14; cp the scribes and Pharisees who did all their deed to be
noticed by men - Mt 23:5). Only that which obtains praise from God will be what men long to
hear ("well done" Mt 25:21, 23,)

Jesus in explaining to His disciples
that He had not come the first time to wear a crown but a cross told a
story that illustrates future praise of those with circumcised hearts...

"And he (a "certain nobleman")
said to him (one of the nobleman's ten slaves who had been told to do
business with 10 minas --
each mina worth 3 months salary in Jesus' day -- until he came back), 'Well
done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little
thing, be in authority over ten cities.' (Luke 19:17)

Paul alluded to this future praise in
his letter to the Corinthians exhorting them...

Therefore do not go on passing
judgment before the time (the time of the bema or Judgment Seat of Christ - only for
believers),
but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the
things hidden in the darkness
and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise
will come to him from God. (1Co 4:5)
(Comment: Note carefully that at the judgment seat of Christ
all believers will receive some praise from God.)

Those who thus combine the outward sign and the inward grace receive
God’s praise, if not man’s. There is a play on words in this last verse
that is not apparent in the English. The word “Jew” comes from “Judah,”
meaning praise. A real Jew is one whose character is such as to receive
praise from God.

William Newell
says that we should apply this same teaching to Christianity today
writing...

So much for the Jew who was the
"religious" man, when Paul wrote Romans. But the "religious" man today
is the "professing Christian, " and "church-membership" as they call it,
has taken the place, in the thought of Christendom, of the Jew's
consciousness of belonging to the favored Israelitish race. If we should
thus apply this passage (Romans 2:17-29), must it not read something
like this?-

"If thou bearest the name of a
Christian, and restest on having the gospel, and gloriest in God, and
knowest His will, and approvest the things that are excellent, being
instructed out of the gospel; and art confident that thou thyself art a
guide of the blind, having in the gospel the form of knowledge and of
the truth"-

Then would follow the searching
questions of Romans 2:21, 22; for do we not know teachers that teach
others, but refuse to follow their own teaching? And preachers that
denounce stealing, but are accused by the world of being themselves
money-grabbers? So it would read, "Thou who gloriest in the gospel,
through thy disobedience to the gospel, dishonorest thou God? The name
of God is blasphemed among non 'church-members' because of you!
Church-membership indeed profiteth if thou be an obeyer of the gospel;
but if thou be a refuser of a gospel-walk, thy 'church-membership' is
become non 'church-membership.' If therefore a non 'church-member' obey
the gospel, shall not his non 'church-membership' be reckoned for
'church-membership'? And shall not non 'church-members, 'if they obey
the gospel, judge thee, who with the letter and 'church-membership' art
a refuser of a gospel-walk? For he is not a Christian who is one
outwardly, nor is that 'church-membership' which is outward in the
flesh; but he is a Christian who is one inwardly; and
'church-membership' is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the
letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God." (Romans
2)

a. It is
according to truth (Ro 2:2-note).
b. It is according to accumulated guilt (Ro 2:5-note).
c. It is according to works Ro 2:6-note).
d. It is without partiality (Ro 2:11-note).
e. It is according to performance, not knowledge (Ro 2:13-note).
f. It reaches the secrets of the heart (Ro 2:16-note).
g. It is according to reality, not religious profession
(Ro 2:17-29-note).

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